NFL investigating Saints for placing bounties on players(merged X2)

[MoLewisrocks]

Getting back to the fines and penalties and such.

1) Payton can only be fined $500K. I know people want more, but that is what the rules say the maximum amount that he can be fined

2) Williams, besides a suspension, could be looking at fines for each instance that he conducted the bounty programs. We know about Washington, Buffalo and New Orleans. So he could be facing 1.5 mill (or more) in fines. That is if the league is allowed to fine for each instance.

3) I don't know what the Saints can be fined, but I would expect it to be significant since Loomis lied, not only to Benson, but to Goodell as well.

4) As I have stated previously, I expect Williams to be tossed from the NFL and I expect him to be facing numerous lawsuits from players claiming to have been hurt due to said bounty system.

5) I'm not sure what Vilma can be fined for his partaking in the bounty system, but as others mentioned, I wouldn't be surprised to see him suspended for the year.

It will be interesting to see how the league handles the Saints defensive players who haven't been named outright.

Payton could take a suspension on top of the maximum fine.

Ditto Loomis.

William's probably can't be fined at that level, he's a coordinator. But he's looking at a potential suspension that costs him his current position. And any shot at another. And then there is the potential of civil action.

Fines for players will be limited, but 1 or more game suspensions could be liberal. I'd imagine Vilma will face a 4 gamer. But since he is rumored to be about to be released for cap reasons, that could derail his remaining career.

As for the team, it won't be the money - it will be the draft pick or picks... Can't take their 1st in 2012 so they may end up losing multiple picks including their 2013 1st.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

If former Rams players brought lawsuits against the NFL, because there was an unfounded rumor that the Patriots filmed the Rams' walkthrough, then I should expect lawsuits to emerge from this.

That puts the NFL in legal trouble, especially when they supposedly have proof of all this. In the real world (the one outside Goodell's justice league), accepting payment to injure/maim somebody is called battery, and the NFL waivers don't negate this.

Saints are lucky this guy pulled this crap on other teams, because Goodell would have thrown them under the bus. This goober coordinator is toast though.

But not lucky in that they apparently tried to cover it up.

In any case, I see it as Spygate redux: other teams were likely doing similar things, but the Patriots were the ones caught. Ditto for the Saints.

 

[Joker]

No offense, Joker, but this sort of thinking is BS.. Goodell made be have put on the tough guy figure and it ended up backing himself into a corner, but the reality is that he punished the Pats and hasn't done anything against them since.

quite possibly and most likely is..and I would add that his INACTION since handing down his "punishment " is actually a form of passive agressiveness towards the Patriots ...but that will not deter me from my post on the far right militant fringe of Pats fans that suspect every thing this "commissioner" does is done with calculated intent and premeditation.

Let me say right here and now...I am on the "less then the Patriots were sanctioned" side of the argument...if I'm wrong, so be it...if I'm right, I may not survive the heights of hysteria I most certainly will be perched on...

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

Important distinction:

Spygate was not a crime by any common law definition. It was a rule violation in the context of competitive sports. Even if the Patriots had taped the Rams walk thru, still unlikely to be a crime. It is similar to sign stealing in baseball. Besides, no athlete has made a legitimate lawsuit for competitive disadvantage. No one could sue Lance Armstrong. Matt Kemp cannot sue Ryan Braun for a lost MVP award. Or, they could sue, but it would be futile.

Bounty gate involves the crime of assault and battery. Although you would have to distinguish the line between playing a physical sport and going behind that, we are talking about a different beast than Spygate.

Players might have legitimate lawsuits in this case.

 

[Deus Irae]

NFL Security is recalling Gregg Williams to NYC for more Bounty-gate talk Monday.

Twitter / Chris Mortensen: NFL Security is recalling ...

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Twitter / Chris Mortensen: NFL Security is recalling ...

Interesting situation.
He's already admitted to the bounty activities.
Given the situation, he knows he'll be fired and his NFL career is over forever, so what can they do to him? Can't fine a guy not working in your league.
If he has additional testimony the league wants, what can he ask for in return?
Severance package not subject to fines?

 

[Bella*chick]

What's crazy to me is that Clayton said something about how he could see Williams getting suspended for a few games.

A few games? Ya think?

I will personally be furious if he only gets a few games.

 

[jcdavey]

well with that tweet it looks like the hammer is falling monday or tuesday

 

[jcdavey]

Getting back to the fines and penalties and such.

1) Payton can only be fined $500K. I know people want more, but that is what the rules say the maximum amount that he can be fined

2) Williams, besides a suspension, could be looking at fines for each instance that he conducted the bounty programs. We know about Washington, Buffalo and New Orleans. So he could be facing 1.5 mill (or more) in fines. That is if the league is allowed to fine for each instance.

3) I don't know what the Saints can be fined, but I would expect it to be significant since Loomis lied, not only to Benson, but to Goodell as well.

4) As I have stated previously, I expect Williams to be tossed from the NFL and I expect him to be facing numerous lawsuits from players claiming to have been hurt due to said bounty system.

5) I'm not sure what Vilma can be fined for his partaking in the bounty system, but as others mentioned, I wouldn't be surprised to see him suspended for the year.

It will be interesting to see how the league handles the Saints defensive players who haven't been named outright.

with vilma putting 10k on the line, he can easily be banned from the nfl as well

 

[QuantumMechanic]

This is easily done by focusing punishment primarily on Williams and the Saints' GM. Those 2 will get the big punishment. Lost in all this will be players and teams. The ramifications are too debilitating to the product on the field. A deal will be struck with the NFLPA to minimize player lawsuits in return for minimal player discipline from Goodell.

NFLPA can't prevent injured players from suing. And what kind idiot player would take this "deal"? The injured player gets nothing or near nothing and the player who injured him gets off the hook. Such a deal.

 

[Deus Irae]

What's crazy to me is that Clayton said something about how he could see Williams getting suspended for a few games.

A few games? Ya think?

I will personally be furious if he only gets a few games.

Mark Maske of the Washington Post reports that the NFL is considering long suspensions for head coach Sean Payton, General Manager Mickey Loomis, former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and players who were involved in bounties.

How long? Maske cited an unnamed source who said suspensions could be half a season or longer.

Williams, Payton, Loomis, players all may face long suspensions | ProFootballTalk

The person familiar with penalty deliberations in the Saints case referred pointedly to the full season suspensions that former NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle imposed in 1963 on Green Bay Packers running back Paul Hornung and Detroit Lions defensive tackle Alex Karras for gambling. It was not clear which of the people involved in the Saints case might face a suspension that long.

Severe, sweeping penalties under consideration in Saints bounty case - The Insider - The Washington Post

 

[Bella*chick]

I definitely think a full season AT LEAST for Williams with serious consideration given to being booted from the league.

I see Payton getting more in the half season range.

 

[robbomango]

I know the video of peyton's hit during the Redskin's game's been posted but NLF.com just uploaded the full hit with slow motion.

NFL Videos: Did Redskins cause Manning's neck injury?

Looks like straight headhunting.

 

[NinjaZX6R]

I know the video of peyton's hit during the Redskin's game's been posted but NLF.com just uploaded the full hit with slow motion.

NFL Videos: Did Redskins cause Manning's neck injury?

Looks like straight headhunting.

Andre carter....

 

[Bella*chick]

Andre carter....

I thought it was the Philip Daniels hit that made it bad.

 

[Joker]

my two favorite Pats fans, one after another....guess what my friends...Unca Joe Kerr predicts the exact opposite of what everyone is saying and predicting will happen tomorrow...I'm betting the NFL's answer to the Beast Rabban, Roger "I Don't Know What I'm Dune" Goodell will attempt to defuse this whole sordid,CRIMINAL mess by getting Williams to man the point, taking all blame on his shoulders thereby lessening the blow to Payton and the Saints organization....then ol' nephew of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen will fine Payton a 100k and make the Saints give up a third round pick...once the scumsucker gets this done,all goes back to a semblance of normality....his plans for the 18 game season go forward, the Patriots are STILL the biggest boogeyman story in NFL history and Roger "Rabban" Goodell gets all the credit for not only saving the game but improving the owners bottom line...we'll all just be the suckers who get the distinct displeasure of watching former NFL football players play a game of nonny nunu flag football at ten times the former price for the real thing, all the while being told how lucky we all are to have an extra two games added to a season that already extends into early February...I say this whole mess is a dog and pony show...we'll see tomorrow...

=

 

[NinjaZX6R]

I thought it was the Philip Daniels hit that made it bad.

It is. It was a high low hit. Carter's hit was clean...Daniels..not so much.

 

[JoeSixPat]

This scandal has all the hallmarks of a typical Goodell overreaction. The only pleasure I get from it is that it puts Spygate in the proper context... Much ado about nothing.

Damien Woody is out there tweeting that bounties "happen all the time" and goes on to wonder "who snitched"?

Although he's an offensive player one has to wonder if he saw bounties used on some of the teams he played for... Not good.

But like Spygate, where the NFL knew of and allowed signal filming the real crime was that they got caught and Goodel was embarrassed about something he already knew was happening and then made a BIG deal about penalizing the guilty parties who embarrassed him.

Seems to me that Goodell's m.o. in all these situations is worthy of an investigation and possible scandal in and of itself.

 

[robbomango]

I thought it was the Philip Daniels hit that made it bad.

Agreed,

It's still sad to think Carter could be implicated in this mess, hopefully he took no part in it. He's been nothing short of a Class Act on this team.

 

[SEA_Pat]

The Damian Woody tweet raises another issue I had thought about. That being the divide between offensive and defensive football players.

This kind of bounty system would only really work for defensive players, who one might think would have more of a kinship with each other than with their own offensive teammates in many respects. If I were an offensive player and heard the D was putting money in a pot to injure offensive players on the other team, I'd be a bit pissed. It doesn't take a Harvard grad to realize that if this is something your team is doing, it could well happen in the other locker room and it could well be that next year you're ON the opposing offensive team with a bounty on your head.